European Tour chairman David Williams has stated his intent to emerge "on the right side of history" as golf continues to wrestle with the emergence of LIV Golf.
The Saudi-funded series has thrown the sport into a state of disarray following its inaugural season. The LIV Golf Invitational Series has succeeded in luring some of the biggest names from golf's established leagues, awarding more than £190million in prize money across just eight events.
The European Tour—or DP World Tour—has also been affected by the new competition, which has sparked moral debates regarding 'sportswashing'. Williams has highlighted his desire to come out "on the right side of history" and insisted golf isn't just about monetary reward despite growing concerns.
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“Look, we are in turbulent times," Williams told The Scotsman . "But I am very confident that, as I said earlier, that we want to be on the right side of history and I am very confident that the game is not just about money."
The European Tour announced a new 'strategic alliance' with its American counterpart, the PGA Tour, in response to LIV Golf's looming threat. Both the European and PGA Tours have also confirmed increased pay-outs at certain events to help secure the loyalties of their top players.
DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley confirmed talks took place earlier this year with a Golf Saudi representative hoping to invest in the competition. However, the decision was made for the tournament to cement its standing with the PGA.
“You know, we had a choice,” said Williams in reference to the crossroads. “We took a very hard economic look at an alternative and the phrase that we use is that we decided that we wanted to be on ‘the right side of history.'"
Former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson conquered another competition after winning the inaugural season of the LIV Golf Invitational Series. His reward was a little more than $35million (£30.7m) in total winnings, with a lot more likely to follow in 2023.
The furore surrounding LIV Golf and whether the league should be awarded Official Golf World Ranking points means it remains unclear which players will compete in next year's majors. That's likely to be a defining decision-maker for many defectors, though Williams is holding firm on where his (and the DP World Tour's) allegiances lie.
